Infinite Undiscovery this September, Star Ocean 2009.

Damn...too many rpg this year. Where's my wrpg?

too many game want to come out *tgk wallet*  T_________T

TeamXbox have attended the Microsoft RPG Premiere 2008 event four days ago and were able to interview game producer Yoshinori Yamagishi. The questions mostly focused on the decision to release this game on the Xbox 360 and not on the PlayStation 3, which seemed like the right choice for most gamers as it's home of the previous titles in the franchise.

With the game coming to Xbox 360, it�s being introduced to a new audience. What were the challenges of bringing it to a new platform and a new audience of players?

Yoshinori Yamagishi: Star Ocean 1 through 3 have been released in the States and they�ve been received well by fans�there�s a following and a fan base there. And then, obviously, Xbox 360 is a platform that�s heavily used by U.S. users, so this will be a great opportunity for fans to play this game on a more familiar platform and it�ll be a chance to get to know the game better.

tri-Ace is also a developer that�s constantly trying new platforms and challenging themselves�with the PlayStation 2 previously, and now the Xbox 360 is a brand-new platform for them, so this is an important milestone for tri-Ace as well in going to a brand-new platform.

This Star Ocean game is more steeped in a science-fiction setting than the previous, more fantasy-oriented games. Can you tell about your inspirations as far as science fiction and the idea of sailing through the stars in a two-person rocket ship, and whether there are any movie or science-fiction novels that had to do with deciding on the setting?

Yoshinori Yamagishi: This is something that can be said for the entire series, starting with Star Ocean 1, but the president at tri-Ace, Mr. Gotanda, is a big science-fiction fan�and a Trekkie, actually�and he�s obviously been influenced by the Star Trek series. It�s something that�s reflected in the Star Ocean series�especially Star Ocean 3, which has a kind of a philosophical ending to it. There are differences�it doesn�t exactly reflect the world of Star Trek, but there are definitely influences there�and from American sci-fi films as well.

Star Ocean 1 through 3 seems pretty complete, and Star Ocean 4 is very graphically different and advanced, but story-wise and content-wise, how has the series evolved?

Yoshinori Yamagishi: Story-wise, the Star Ocean series can be seen as a complete set�1, 2 and 3 is a complete trilogy. Star Ocean 4 takes place before Star Ocean 1, so you could almost say that Star Ocean 4 is a tale that depicts how Star Ocean came to be and how the world came to be. That�s one of the major themes we�ve taken into accomplishing for Star Ocean 4.

System-wise, tri-Ace has always been a developer that constantly develops games to test the limits to each hardware, but they make sure not to do anything that the hardware can�t handle. They use the hardware to its fullest capabilities, but they make sure that the game itself functions well and looks good as well.

In this sense, Star Ocean for PS1 only had 2-D characters. For the PS2, the characters were made in 3-D, because the hardware enabled it to evolve in that way. For the Xbox 360, this is next-generation hardware and brand-new technology, and new abilities that can be put into the game that tri-Ace has held off on prior because the hardware wasn�t able to handle it. Star Ocean 4 has become very realistic looking just because the hardware has enabled it to function this way.

Is this an Xbox 360 exclusive?

Yoshinori Yamagishi: I believe your question translates into, would it be coming out on PS3 as well. The answer to that is, there are no plans, nothing set in stone at the moment�we can�t say right now that it will come out or it won�t come out for sure, so it could go either way. The only thing that�s confirmed right now is that it�s coming out on Xbox 360.

Since Star Ocean 1 through 3 were on the PSP, why the Xbox 360 for Star Ocean 4? And why call this Star Ocean 4 when it�s actually a prequel in a sense to Star Ocean, the series. Why not Star Ocean Zero? Is there a new direction that you�re heading in with the Star Ocean series in general?

Yoshinori Yamagishi: In terms of why the name Star Ocean 4, the development code for the title was actually �Zero,� since it is the origin of the Star Ocean series, but calling it �Zero� in the actual title, that title has such a negative connotations. We wanted to bring an actual numbered title, and that�s how we arrived at Star Ocean 4.

In terms of why Xbox 360�the simple answer to this is just that, when we started development on it, the Xbox 360 hardware was the only one that was ready to begin. The PS3 was not fully available at the moment to start development. That�s the honest answer to that.

In terms of why Xbox 360�the simple answer to this is just that, when we started development on it, the Xbox 360 hardware was the only one that was ready to begin. The PS3 was not fully available at the moment to start development. That�s the honest answer to that.

lolz, yup, many square enix published rpg coming on, infinite discovery and star ocean 4. Then got square enix developed the last remnant and FFXIII. Mostly from what i know, most of the ppl i asked them about console they said actually they bought ps3 becos xbox 360 are full of FPS game. Heck, even most of the "good" titles of ps3 are FPS game currently. With those japanese rpg kicking in, i dont think there is any other reason y u should not buy 360. Aside from the RROD prob, there is an solution for it currently, but only for those who mod their console

I bought Xbox360 also bcoz it got GOW, RARE and Team Ninja's games. I never think that i can play Star Ocean and Final Fantasy on Xbox360.   

Yeah...Team Ninja games also mostly XBOX360 exclusive...in fact, Ninja Gaiden was the original reason i bought the old XBOX 1.

Now, PS3 only left Metal Gear Series...which i've a feeling might be coming to the XBOX360. Other stuff still exclusive are Naughty Dog's and Insomaniac games like Ratchet and Clank (which i think is a big bore by now). Other than this, most other worthy stuff all cross platform.

Heck, i'm playing Mass Effect and DMC4(incredible port! Finally a CAPCOM games that doesn't sucks on the PC!) on the PC now...maybe FF13 will come to the PC as well?

if you people think Microsoft had secure the RPG market on their X360... in my opinion Microsoft still far away from it but they really had show some effort.

Reimi with flute: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=TpiFczPAM9Q&feature=related

Reimi's Christmas Dance: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=tVLZe_fBOpA&feature=related

Reimi sing "Eyes On Me" : http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=yTWyBxxMuoE&feature=related

January 9, 2009 - Back in December, we put out the call for reader questions for Star Ocean: The Last Hope. Shortly thereafter, our email inbox was flooded. We received hundreds upon hundreds of questions and did our best to sort the pile into the most asked and most interesting queries. In other words, we're sorry if your question didn't make the cut. We're not sorry about the responses the Star Ocean: The Last Hope development team gave, though. This extensive question and answer session covers everything from hopes for a PlayStation 3 port to hopping into an established franchise without playing the past games. Enjoy.

[This question was asked over 100 times] In the past the Star Ocean series has been known to be a Sony systems (PlayStation(s)) game only. With the fairly recent announcement of Final Fantasy XIII coming to the Xbox 360, do we have any chance of seeing Star Ocean 4 made for the PlayStation 3?

Star Ocean Dev Team: There are currently no plans for a PlayStation 3 version.

What game engine is tri-Ace using for SO4, is it the Unreal 3.5 engine or an original engine created for the game?

Star Ocean Dev Team: The engine being used for Star Ocean: The Last Hope is an original engine developed by tri-Ace. The same engine was used for Infinite Undiscovery as well.

Will players have the option to listen to the Japanese voice acting instead of the English one?

Star Ocean Dev Team: Unfortunately, this option will not be available.(NOOOO!!!)

How many playable characters will there be? Is it just 7 characters? Also, do inactive characters continue to level with the characters you play often (similar to Eternal Sonata) or do you have to play with every character in order to increase level?

Star Ocean Dev Team: There are over seven playable characters. They will not level up unless actively used in battle, and since you can only have up to four characters in your party at a time, it is necessary to switch party members for the rest of the characters to level up.

I've noticed that the hero of Star Ocean 4 has the same clothes on as Fayt Leingod had in Till The End of Time. Is there a relation between the two characters? If not, is there a reason the main concept and design of the new character looks remarkably the same, aside from hair color?

Star Ocean Dev Team: There is no relation between the two characters, as the stories take place in completely different times. Perhaps there is a slight resemblance in their appearances.


No plans for this to come to PS3.

If I never played any of the other Star Ocean games would I be able to follow the story in this one?

Star Ocean Dev Team: This title portrays the origin of the Star Ocean series, so you should have no problem following the story even if you've never played the other games.

Will the game have a collector's edition in North America? If so, what will it contain (steel book case, art book, etc)?

Star Ocean Dev Team: There are no plans for a collector's edition.

How long will the game be and how many discs?

Star Ocean Dev Team: The game is about 40 hours long and spans three discs. However, there are many bonus features and hidden elements, on top of which we have created the game to accommodate multiple playthroughs, so I think players will be able to get many entertaining hours out of it.

The Star Ocean series has been known for its fast-paced, deep combat system. Star Ocean 3 presented perhaps one of the best active battle system designs to date, it seemed to really lack only one thing: cooperative multiplayer. Cooperative multiplayer is becoming a very popular concept in modern gaming. Will Star Ocean 4 include the option for cooperative multiplayer, or perhaps DLC that may later enable cooperative multiplayer?

Star Ocean Dev Team: A "multiplayer mode" does not mesh well with games like Star Ocean, which have a high range of freedom (as opposed to a style like a FPS, in which players clear missions to progress), and incorporate a system in which players jump to the battle scene after coming into contact with enemies. For this reason, we have not included a multiplayer mode, and have no plans to incorporate it in the future.

Will this game have the exact same battle system as the last star ocean? Please revive the Seventh Saga series......

Star Ocean Dev Team: The basics of the battle are the same, but the system has been enhanced. Compared to the previous version, in which the motion was two-dimensional, now with the option to jump, a sense of depth is added to the battle movements in Star Ocean: The Last Hope. Other than that, new systems such as Rush and Blindside are now included, adding to the overall battle experience.


Battle system(English version)

My question regarding The Last Hope is this: Will there be any romance in the game? This might come as an odd question, but since I feel that romance is an element that adds quite a bit of depth and character development, it's rarely a bad thing to have in a game. Also, I feel that the use of this element has been waning over the last few years; I remember the times of Final Fantasy VIII, or even Tales of Phantasia, in which romance was a much appreciated part of the dialogue and the character interaction in general.

Star Ocean Dev Team: The romantic element has always been a prevalent one throughout the Star Ocean series -- you could even say that Star Ocean and romance go hand in hand. Of course, this title has plenty of romance as well. We've incorporated a variety of events, which are triggered depending on the compatibility between different characters.(this is what i wanna hear)

From the sound of the trailers, it sounds like Motoi Sakuraba is doing the music? Is this true? Is there anyone else joining him and sharing the compositional duties with as well? And when, if there is one, will the OST be released.

Star Ocean Dev Team: Mr. Motoi Sakuraba is in charge of the musical aspect of this title, and all songs are composed by him. The Japanese OST release date has not been confirmed yet.

How big of a role will synthesis play throughout the game if it's present at all?

Star Ocean Dev Team: Synthesis will definitely be a feature of this game. As with previous Star Ocean titles, utilizing synthesis and item creation to your advantage will enhance the gameplay experience.


The game will last over 40 hours.

Will there be a Dictionary like in SO3? The Dictionary added a lot of backstory and, in my opinion, gave the story more depth as things were explained. I really hope it returns in SO4.

Star Ocean Dev Team: The Dictionary system is present in this release as well.

tri-Ace is known for using characters from their other games and placing them as optional bosses towards the end of the game, Can we expect to see characters like Gabriel Celeste and Ethereal Queen, as well as Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile?

Star Ocean Dev Team: Gabriel Celeste, Ethereal Queen, and other familiar characters will definitely make an appearance, but these characters are originally from the Star Ocean series. There are no plans for characters from outside of the series to make an appearance.

look at the crazy YEN and the pricing for the this game in JPN and suddenly i'm very happy with the Asian version pricing

when will it be release

Are there any adults in the game?
All i see is just kids, kids and younger kids.
How i wish they have something like Tales of Vesperia, oh dear old man, Raven

I know this might sound silly but I still have to ask, I've never liked any previous Star Ocean before, would I still like this game?

English Version:



http://www.gconsole.com/kyle/360/SO4/02.jpg

Japanese version:

Hope this game is available for Asia.

Last time Star Ocean was only for the u/s only

not only the best . but the greatest . the english version is an eyesore 

look at this :

japanese version got anime faces while english version only have the cgi faces which is fugly . me want anime faces ! ! . square enix wants us to buy both damn square enix 

Japanese Version ( Anime Faces FTW ! ) :



English version ( Fugly CGI Faces ) :

Hope this game is available for Asia.

Last time Star Ocean was only for the u/s only

Hope we can change versions (as in JPN and US back and forth) while playing...like how ToVesperia was able to...
=)

i think u mean eternal sonata rite? ....

It seems that you need to change discs when you want to back track to areas that were on different discs. It sux. Still, changing discs for 5 seconds is not a big deal for me. MGS4 needs more than a minutes after each act for installation though.
But yeah, why did tri-Ace do that? We can access everything on the last disc of Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, even their Infinite Undiscovery.

IGN Review:

http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/903309/...iew_021809.html
40-50 minutes cutscenes are bad for jrpg? This guy definitely cant play mgs4 or xenosaga.
If can,i want it to be longer.

the hell! not only the character faces in battle in the eng version,they change them during dialog too!

Hmm our version only available March 4th? Djinn u planning on bringing in or not?

wow...price increase back..last time i see was RM178...-.- now RM184...should have bought it earlier

hey guys,

anybody here knows if the ASIA region game is region free?

cheers

anyone picking this up today? 

Will GH@Tropics have it?

6.5  Presentation
From epic dungeons with few save points to epically awkward extended cutscenes, there is a lot that could have been done to make the story and experience more engaging.
7.5  Graphics
There is little that is visually stunning, but the game runs smoothly and there is a nice variety in locations to explore.
7.5  Sound
The soundtrack is nice. The English-only audio is not.
8.5  Gameplay
The combat and leveling really had me digging Star Ocean.
8.0  Lasting Appeal
A substantial role-playing game with lots of reasons to play the game multiple times.
8.0
Impressive  OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

zomg . IGN rated this 8.0 .. if only the audio is japanese this sure will kickass 

Can't seems to find any function that you can actually change the language to japanease.

guess the asia version is stuck to english only.